


Broken Pedestal

by Ninebreaker



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Broken Pedestals, Depression, Exhaustion, Gen, One Shot, Sonic Legacy - Freeform, Tails is caught in the middle and he feels obligated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:09:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27284701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninebreaker/pseuds/Ninebreaker
Summary: It's only a day after the the world is saved yet again by Sonic. This time, at the cost of a new ally in the form of a black and red hedgehog. Still reeling from the effects of the Space Colony, codenamed "ARK" having almost been used to wipe out all life on the planet, Tails finally returns home to get some much needed rest...
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Broken Pedestal

It had been a grueling seventy-two hours.

Seventy-two long hours. Three days of unshakeable dread coursing through everyone's veins as the threat of total annihilation loomed over the planet. Riots broke out. People were caught in the crossfire of nihilistic anarchy. Hospitals were stuffed full of people with a myriad of injuries that made a medical textbook look tame in comparison.

Those last three days were the longest days ever spent on Mobius. Even worse than the day Station Square was completely destroyed, nothing more than a watery grave for hundreds of thousands of people. Those were dark days. These days felt pitch black.

Oh, sure... maybe the scale of destruction wasn't at the forefront of the mind of your average citizen. Station Square was a national disaster, at the hands of an angry, vengeful God looking for solace and penance. This was worse, because at the heart of it all, it was humanity at its most grim, unable to cope with disaster.

Not everyone held such views, but it was total chaos out there for three days. People gave up. People died. People committed crimes. What did it matter? The world was going to blow up in three days and no one would be able to stop it. Why bother at that point? Not least of which left a nasty mark on the Guardians of United Nations reputation as a whole. The leading defense organization committed to keeping the peace with their "Worldwide Police" methods, having been revealed to almost exclusively be the sole cause for causing Gerald Robotnik to go utterly insane with revenge, amongst other dirty laundry unceremoniously thrown to the wolves, wouldn't be easily forgotten by the public eye.

At the end of the day, apocalypse had been averted, yet...

Things had come to the forefront that were better left buried.

Tails quietly opened the door to his workshop overlooking the ocean by the Mystic Ruins, yanking the key out of the lock. He would have placed it inside of the satchel securely fastened to his hip, but the fox was only just now getting back after those three long, exhaustive days, to the point that he hadn't even opened up his garage to place the Cyclone back inside. No, he parked it outside just like any other vehicle, mostly because he just couldn't be bothered to think about doing anything more difficult than getting inside and getting some rest.

Flicking a light switch by the front door, the workshop became illuminated, shining a dull light over the messiness of his workplace.

Tails would be lying if he said he didn't find some comfort in having a place of his own, even now, when the world was upside down. His mentor, Chuck, having pulled some strings for him to get an idea of what kind of place he would he able to run on his own once he was out of the shadow of the orphanage in Mobotropolis.

Mobian society worked a little different from humans. It wasn't uncommon to see sixteen year olds having a steady job. History had proven humans to outpace them in the realm of technology, but societal customs were a different story.

Still, it just meant that Tails could feel like his own person far sooner, and that was just fine for him. He never did like living in other peoples shadows even if it seemingly came naturally to him. The fox groaned in mild self-disdain.

Closing the door to his sanctuary, Tails plodded his way to his workbench, pulling up the stool with the wheels and the cushion. When he didn't have any idea what to do, where to go, or what to think, he always sat at some kind of work station. He had one in Chuck's home, he had a small one at the orphanage, and the ritual subsisted itself further still, with one in his living room.

He didn't live with anyone but himself, so he could have the place looking as terrible as he wanted. It sounded petty, but it was the small things in life that provided the reprieve needed to recuperate and continue. Living by himself was a luxury he was aware few could actually afford, so he took his privacy seriously. Being so far away from actual civilization? A small blessing.

Though part of him knew that he'd eventually have to find a new place to live. Settling out at the boonies only did so much for those looking to work in the tech industry and having to ferry his contract work from here to there would be a massive pain in the long run. For now, it would do.   
Maybe he'd move to Central City some day.

Tails moved some random bits and tools aside to look upon a manilla folder, with the front of it written in black marker, titled "Current Contracts."

Tails grimaced. With this whole business regarding the space colony sitting in orbit, and the looming threat of the Eclipse Cannon, there was no telling who did or did not cancel their contracts with 'Miles Electric'. It would be a a huge pain to even figure out who he did and didn't still have work with. Everyone thought the world was going to end, after all. Could he blame them for not caring anymore?

It was a thick folder, too.

Tails had given some promising work under Chuck's tutelage, and with having such a famous name like Chuck's lending weight to his good word, it was easy to get Tails foot in the door when it came to machines and technology, both mundane and experimental. It was a way to pay the bills, to get the tools and parts he needed, and the rest of the time was spent drawing up blueprints, or keeping himself in shape by running with Sonic.

Sonic.

Tails let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. Just thinking about Sonic sent a chill down his spine. That final conversation came running back to the forefront of his mind, something he sorely wished to forget. To just return to normal and pretend he had never seen Sonic act in such a way. To shake his very understanding of the one person he looked up to the most...

_I didn't think about saving the world at first. I just wanted a good fight._   
_What do you mean?_   
_It was a ride, right? I mean, all those twists and turns. Getting hunted down by GUN, fighting Shadow, Eggman, Rouge, and that big dumb lizard? You can't deny it wasn't exciting._   
_None of that was fun. We nearly died! You were locked up in prison! You saw what GUN did to Gerald! Eggman aired a live firing execution to the entire world!_   
_So? There's no real point to thinking about it. It happened and we have to live with it. I'm just glad Eggman finally turned himself in. I'm gonna miss him, though._   
_How could you find any of that fun?!_   
_I just did. It was a rush. I gotta say... I never felt more alive than when I was getting shot at._

Those words echoed in Tails' ears like bombs dropping off in the distance. There had been more words after that little conversation on the way back to Mobius, but those had hit the hardest. To find out that Sonic regarded life or death situations with whimsy and glee... to think nothing but his own satisfaction, to all-but-admitting this was a game to him left a tight feeling inside of Tails' chest that made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

It was twisted in a way he could not reliably describe. He had spent more time with Sonic than anyone else. He would like to think he knew what Sonic was like, but his entire understanding had been rocked to the foundation.

There was no denying that Sonic felt justice for those that were wronged, to help where he could-- but that was just it. It started and ended right there. He would never help more than he felt obligated to, and he would always make that abundantly clear. To understand that Sonic's own desires, up to this point, had conveniently coincided with his friends, wasn't something Tails was prepared to grasp, and even now, it still left him reeling. If Sonic had ever felt differently about something, if he had disagreed with his friends, and his family, it would mean something ugly.

But Tails couldn't be suspicious forever. He couldn't analyze every one of Sonic's moves and wonder if this was where things would forever change. It would never be normal between Tails and Sonic again, and there was some understanding in Sonic's eyes a few hours ago that spoke to that understanding, that the fox had finally understood that Sonic was the very definition of anti-compromise. He would go his own way, and do his own things, no matter what anyone thought.

In a weird way, Tails had to respect that. There were parts of Sonic that couldn't be boiled down at all. Deep below that bright smile and those shimmering jade eyes, was a clever, deep individual that never let on more than he wanted. The hedgehog was armored beyond compare. There wasn't a single dent in that metaphorical armor. 

Tails found himself smiling, even if only sadly, as that grin cracked itself on his muzzle. He couldn't help but still admire Sonic. The two had come to an understanding and Sonic had made it exceptionally clear that Tails would always be his little brother to him. The day that Sonic's family had officially adopted him would remain one of the best days of his life. He finally had a family to call his own.

At some point, the fox had fallen asleep at his desk, only woken up by the shrill cacophony of his wristwatch beeping and vibrating incessantly by his large ears. Groggily waking up, Tails rubbed at his eyes as he looked at the repurposed pager adorning his wrist just under his gloves. It worked just like a pager-- and that was only the conceptual stage. He planned to eventually make it a two-way communicator capable of unparalleled signal, complete with a global positioning system, and personal data assistant.

For now though, it was just a silly little pager.

Squinting at the tiny screen, Tails' eyes narrowed in an attempt to get the screen to stop splitting into two blurry images of each other. He must've been more tired than he thought.

_PLEASE CALL_   
_NEW MOM, ALEENA_

Aleena could be a massive tease when she wanted to be. She knew Tails really enjoyed getting to hear words like 'mom' in relation to him. It never failed to make him feel good, and she was apparently keenly aware of how he was feeling if those maternal instincts of hers were flairing up now... especially after these last few days.

Turning off the watch for now, Tails reached over to the landline phone he had set up on his desk, dialing Aleena's number, easily knowing hers and Chucks by heart at this point. Tails was very sure Sonic didn't have any kind of communication device, which was only one part of why he was so obscenely hard to get ahold of.

After a few rings, Aleena picked up.

"Hello?" Aleena's voice filtered through the receiver. It was always comforting to hear.  
  
"Hey Aleena. It's Miles."  
  
"Oh, Tails! Good to hear from you. Did you make it back home alright?"  
  
Tails chuckled, mostly out of a nervous habit.  
  
"Yeah, I'm calling you from my place near Station Square. I live in the mountains near the Mystic Ruins."  
  
"Ah, yeah, yeah, I remember you saying something like that. After everything thats happened this last week, I was getting a bit concerned for all two of my boys."

This time, Tails really did chuckle, more from her incredulous teasing.  
  
"Does Chuck not count?" Tails asked, now physically on autopilot. He'd picked up a pencil in the meantime, idly tapping the eraserhead.  
  
"He's my old fart of an older brother. He might not look like it, but he can hold his own. I'm more worried about you, my boy." Tails looked around him at that moment. Some part of him almost expected to see Sonic standing beside him, but that would have been wholly ridiculous.  
  
"What about Sonic?" Tails asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
"My Sonic's always been a free spirit, just like his father. You can't keep that boy pinned down for more than a minute. He's even a bigger fighter than his dad. They both really like helping out people when there's some kind of excitement to be gotten out of it."

Tails felt that same chill course down his spine again, only harder. He's seen photos of Sonic's dad, who seemingly went missing five years ago. The details of his disappearance are murky at best and no one's exactly sure what had happened to him but from what Tails had heard about Yaeger, they were extremely similar to one another in terms of personality, save for a few unique quirks.

Where Sonic was bombastic and had a special talent for flair, Yaeger had been more stoic than his son, but no less of a capable, strong man acting on his own and believing in his own moral codes more than anyone else. He hadn't ever been upfront about his past, at least from what Aleena had known about him before they met, but the only real way to tell the difference between the two was that Yaeger was obviously older, had darker fur and was a bit fluffier than his son.

At least, that's what Aleena had said.

An explorer and a charter pilot hitting it off like crackers and peanut butter. A match made in heaven.

"Which actually brings me to my second point for calling you." Tails snapped to attention when Aleena spoke into his ear. When she spoke, you paid attention. Tails wondered if that was her news reporter training at work.

"It's about Sonic. I saw him just a little while ago, and he seemed... different." Aleena's tone was hard to pin down, but it wasn't hard to guess why she was calling. Tails felt that same tightness in his chest from before as she spoke. He tested the waters, breathing through his nose to calm his nerves.  
  
"In what way?" He innocently asked. Aleena didn't answer for a moment, as if she was trying to figure out just what the hell she was trying to ask of her newest son.  
  
"Well," she started, voice uneasy. "Ever since this whole Space Ark thing went down, Sonic seems like something is constantly nagging at him. He pretends everything is alright, but as his mother, I can just tell when something is wrong with my boy."

It only made sense. Any good mother would be able to pick up on these things like it was second nature.  
"It almost feels like something was awakened in him. I know that sounds kind of dramatic, but it's the only way I can describe it. Like there's some kinda craving in him now that he can't satiate. It's really offputting."

Tails absorbed this info, leaning forward on his desk and crossing his arms, attempting to make sense of Aleena's words. Tails felt something similar, but he wasn't able to put it into words then. It would have been so easy to just label Sonic and his actions like he was some kind of common criminal, but Sonic hadn't committed any crimes that either of them knew about, and Sonic wasn't the type of person to just go out and do illegal stuff just to get a kick out of it. That wasn't him.

Despite his faults, Tails was sure of that.

"Hasn't he always been like this?" Tails offered, tossing a few papers aside to better clear the workstation as he talked. He'd have to clear it up sooner or later. Might as well keep his hands busy in the meantime.  
  
"I don't know. I want to say 'no', but... it feels like he's going down some path he shouldn't be. I could be rambling, or maybe I'm just paranoid because I'm his mother, but something feels dark about all of this. Like it doesn't matter to him anymore."

**_It doesn't matter._ **

**_It doesn't matter._ **

**_It doesn't matter._ **

"Tails? Are you okay? You started breathing really heavily for a moment there. Are you sick?"

Tails pulled the phone away from his ear then, watching as his hand violently shook the phone not under his own will. Aleena's increasingly worried tone pierced through the fog that had enveloped his vision, bringing his fingers to the corners of his eyes to rub the exhaustion away.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just got dizzy for a second. This whole thing with the Ark has got me super tired. I was gonna head to bed early, actually."  
  
Aleena sounded apologetic.   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. I'll let you go. Get some rest, okay? And don't forget to eat again just because you're hard at work. You can afford to take some personal time off after all of this. I swear, spending all that time with Chuck had some of his bad habits rub off on you."  
  
"Heh, yeah, I won't forget. Thanks for checking up on me, though."  
  
"Of course. I love you, Tails. We all do. Don't forget that."  
  
"Love you too, Aleena."

Tails hung up the phone with a soft click, gingerly placing it back on the receiver. Some day, he'd get the courage to call her Mom. At least once in his miserable life.

Still, that whole conversation left another uncomfortable pit in his stomach. If Aleena was worried about the way her son was acting, there was no doubt in Tails' mind. It would only reaffirm what he had come to see in the speedy blue hedgehog. Still... probably wouldn't hurt to keep tabs on Sonic. Tails very much doubted the others knew what Sonic was really like underneath his whole exterior, but that didn't mean he couldn't 'nudge' things every so often.

He owed Aleena that much.


End file.
